Page 2 of Count the Cost (The Secrets of Elizabeth Bennet #2)

The London Pool

E lizabeth stood as still as she could, her hand clinging to Papa’s, struggling to see through the mass of men, handcarts and the occasional street dog underfoot. The noise was indescribable — shouting, cursing, barking, and the rumbling of wheels — Elizabeth could hardly hear herself think.

But she concentrated on the ship nosing her way into the dock.

Papa said she was called the Abercromby, and it looked quite new.

She had looked it up in the newspaper over the last months to see which ports she called at.

She marvelled at the names as they rolled strangely off her tongue.

But the most romantic of all was the Cape of Good Hope at the very bottom of the world.

She had not stopped worrying about her uncle until he was nearly home, when a letter arrived to say all was well.

But at this moment all she wanted was to see her uncle — and the sailors on deck. She tugged at Papa’s hand, and he leaned down.

“Papa? Am I too heavy for you to lift up — just for a moment?”

“Lizzy, you are ten years old. I cannot possibly lift you any more — and no. I am not going to ask one of the footmen to lift you. It is not ladylike.” His expression softened. “What did you want to see?”

“I wanted to see if the Lascars looked anything like the pictures in my book.”

“Well, I am sorry. But soon, perhaps, you might see some of them helping to unload the ship.”

He looked round uneasily. “I am still not sure whether I ought to have left you in the coach outside the docks. It does not feel very safe for you in this crowd.”

Elizabeth pressed closer to her father. “I will hold on to you very tightly. And you have four footmen around us.”

“You are a good girl, Lizzy. You have missed your Uncle Gardiner, haven’t you?”

Elizabeth nodded. He had been away for nearly two years on this trip to India. How she wished she had been old enough to go with him; it would have been the greatest adventure she could ever have imagined. “I have written so much in my book that I need to tell him about.”

Papa laughed. “Well, a six-month journey home — I expect he has written you quite a few letters which he will bring with him for you to read.”

She knew her eyes were bright. “I have so much to learn.”

From his expression she thought Papa was chuckling, though she could hardly hear his words above the din. “You already far outstrip me, my daughter, except in worldly experience.”

It seemed a long time, but eventually her uncle was pushing his way through the crowds to join them. “Brother Bennet! It is wonderful to see a familiar face.” The two men clapped each other on the shoulder in that odd way men had, but it was only a moment later when her uncle turned to her.

“And my little Lizzy.” His eyes crinkled at the corners. “You have grown so much, my dear.” And he gave her a bow.

She knew her eyes widened and she struggled with her curtsy, not having ever expected to use it so soon. Uncle Gardiner laughed boisterously. “Don’t worry, my dear. You are still my favourite niece and we have a lot of catching up to do.”

Then he turned to Papa. “My sister is well? And all the girls?”

Papa nodded. “They are. I have also written to Miss Powell as you wished me to, and told her that I would meet your ship today.”

Elizabeth tipped her head on one side. All this seemed quite unimportant when she was wondering whether Uncle had been successful on his trip.

“Come,” Papa said to him finally. “You are shivering. Let me get you into the coach and we will get you into the warm.”

Papa looked round the small house near Uncle’s warehouses. “I had it opened and cleaned for you, Edward, but you might need to do something before you bring the new Mrs. Gardiner here.”

Uncle nodded. “Miss Powell deserves better. She has waited a long time for me. And I can afford that for her now.” He smiled down at Elizabeth’s bemused expression.

“Do you remember Mr. Reed, Lizzy? He’s the young man I took with me to India.

He’s going to be very useful in this new line of trade.

Well, I have told him to see to the goods I have imported, and then he will bring your purchases here for you to examine.

” He smiled kindly. “I hope you will be pleased with them.”

Elizabeth bounced up and down. “I am sure I will. Did you spend all the five pounds I gave you?”

“I did. I was happy you had saved so much and entrusted me with it. I believe you will at least double your money, if not triple it with what I managed to get for you.”

“But you must come home with me tomorrow, Lizzy.” Papa was firm. “Until your uncle is married, it would not be right for you to stay here without me. And you must also allow them to have some time together before he asks his bride to permit his niece to pay a visit.”

Elizabeth frowned, and he shook his head at her. “It is a grown-up thing, Lizzy, and you must just accept that I am right in this.”

Her uncle smiled gently down at her. “We have conducted our business much by letter, Lizzy, even before I sailed. We will have to continue that, I am afraid. But you are a very able and prolific correspondent.” His eyes danced with mirth.

“I have six months’ worth of letters for you that I wrote on board ship, so you have a great deal to read. ”

“Thank you!” Elizabeth clapped her hands together in excitement.

“And I kept a little of my pin money back this year and found a tenant’s daughter in Shenley making the most beautiful embroidered bags.

I told her I would buy as many as she could make if she made them just a little bigger so they were a proper size for a lady’s reticule.

” She lifted the bag at her side. “Look.”

Her uncle gravely examined the little bag which was just the right size for a ten-year old girl. “You have done well, Lizzy. She is a talented girl and you were right about the size.” He grinned. “But can you think of the advantages of having bags of different sizes?”

This was what Elizabeth loved about her uncle. He always made her think hard. She put her head on one side and stared at the bag.

“If … if she had better fabrics to make the bags, perhaps a society lady would like a bag made for her and the same, but smaller, for her daughter.”

“Very good. And what do you think about the embroidery?”

She creased her brows, and stared at the work.

“She is very talented, Uncle, but there is too much of it on the bag — although because the fabric is plain, there needs to be.” She glanced up at him.

“Do you think it needs to be more subtle? Not so much? And much less on the smaller bag as the child will be quite young?”

Uncle nodded seriously. “The embroidery is very fine, Lizzy, but the stitching of the bag itself is not perfect. Look.” He showed her the seams. “But I do not think you ought to get this girl to improve the manufacture of the bags. If she stitches the designs onto pieces of silk we give her, we can then commission an experienced seamstress to make up the bags; perhaps with a better quality ribbon or a plaited silk cord. It will be quicker, too. Then you will be able to charge a great deal more for the perceived quality.”

Elizabeth nodded seriously. “That is a good idea, Uncle. Little Jenny will then have more time to do the actual stitching.”

“How much did you pay her?”

“She only wanted a shilling as it was a small bag. But I gave her an extra threepence so she would work only for me. I saw some other stitching she had done and she makes lots of different designs. But if I am going to supply all the fabrics, she will be very happy with that, I think, and perhaps a bit more for larger pieces.”

Uncle nodded. “What price were you thinking of charging?”

“I wanted to ask you that, Uncle.” She sighed. “Just by buying this for me, I have had several people ask me where it came from. I am afraid I had to be evasive, as I do not want to lose Jenny.”

Papa laughed, and Uncle chuckled. “Well, Lizzy, you are learning the art of true business. Now, if you use some of the silks I have sourced, and you sell them through my establishment, then you can always say — quite truthfully — that you acquired the bag from town, and I can get you a wealthier set of buyers, and you will make a greater profit per item.”

Elizabeth took it all in. “Let me write all this down, Uncle, before I forget. Then I want to talk more.”

Papa shook his head. “Interesting as it no doubt is to you, Lizzy, I have more to talk about to your uncle than business.” He looked indulgently down at her.

“Now, Sarah will take you upstairs, and you will have your supper and go to bed. We are leaving quite early in the morning, so you must get some sleep.”

She stared at him in dismay. “But Papa! I haven’t seen my parcel yet.”

Uncle patted her on the shoulder. “Reed may be quite late in bringing it along, Lizzy. But fear not, you will see it in the morning, and I will impose upon your father to allow us half an hour together to talk about what I bought on your behalf.”

As their maid took Elizabeth upstairs, she heard the two older men speaking. “She is quite extraordinary for her age, Bennet. I think she will do very well if she accepts advice in these early years.”

“But you have a life to lead, and will have a wife to keep happy. The new Mrs. Gardiner may not be as content as you for Lizzy to upend her life — and she has waited two years for you to return from India.” She could hear his heavy sigh.

“And it is not ladylike; she is a gentleman’s daughter, after all. ”

Elizabeth made a face at herself. Did that mean she might not be permitted to get help from Uncle Gardiner — or even that she must stop?

She set her jaw. She might be only ten, but she could do this all by herself if she had to, even if it would take longer. After all, she had saved and long ago earned that first pound all by herself. She could do this, no matter who disapproved.

After all, no one needed to know. She could keep it a secret. And Papa and Uncle would not reveal it, she was certain.